Friday, July 15, 2011

Last week we had a parent meeting for the Aidan's Thai school at the Berkeley Wat and we hashed out a schedule for several parents to come supervise during the lunch hour. So now every Thursday I have lunch duty, but since my required time to be there is in the middle of the day, I've chosen to make an entire day of it from the time I take Aidan to school to when I bring him home.

While my work time is cut down to only 3 days a week, I get an opportunity to benefit from several different experiences. First, I get to know the other parents and teachers better by chatting with them more often. This creates a tighter community. Secondly, I get to immerse myself in Thai language and improve my skills.

I am very happy to say that when I was helping out in Aidan's classroom yesterday, I could understand everything the teacher was telling the kids! The years of listening to Golf and Aidan communicate has paid off and I was pleased at how much I could understand. Now if all Thais spoke to me like a 6-year-old kid, I'd be just fine! LOL!

It was a great day and I enjoyed the change. I am grateful that I am my own boss and have the luxury of being able to carve out my schedule any way I like or need. My work time may have been reduced, but it is to be expected during summer months. I have a clear vision of what I want my mini empire to look like and it may just take a tiny bit longer to get there. No worries. What I get to contribute to the wat and Thai community is extremely important and benefits others as well as myself.

Friday, July 01, 2011

Since January I have incorporated green smoothies into my diet. I feel great and what's not to love about fresh greens and delicious sweet fruit blended together.

The only problem is that since January I've gained about 6 pounds! The only thing that has changed is my smoothies - I haven't changed any other eating habits or exercise. So I cannot help but think that there is a correlation, though it MAY be a slowing metabolism, hopefully not.

Just for kicks, I'm going to stop my green smoothie intake for the next month and see if it has any effect. I hate how my clothes fit and how my body looks, so I'm all on it! Wish me luck and I'll report back in a month

About Me

Amy Tanathorn is a Bay Area artist who paints well-being, peace and happiness. Using acrylic paints as her medium, she also incorporates other materials from origami papers to tea bag papers into her works, creating unexpected textures and visuals.

Inspired by Eastern spiritual themes, Amy’s subjects range from flowers and Japanese tea gardens, to symbols that aid in the awakening of our planet such as lotus flowers and hand mudras. It is her intention to bring more joy to the world with her use of vivid colors, bold brush strokes and touchable textures.